Waqar Younis, the former strike bowler and current coach of the Pakistan cricket team has stressed that education at a very early age is extremely necessary as it would keep the cricket players away from allegations and controversies.
“Players should be trained and given proper education from the age of 16,” said Younis on his arrival in Lahore following the completion of the tour. “It’s very difficult to coach them at the international level if they are not trained. But if they are brought up with a proper education, it will definitely help them to stay away from controversies.”
But the question really is then, where should they be trained? There are hardly any institutions or academies that educate players. The National Academy, which was opened by General Tauqir Zia in Lahore, had courses which would groom the players, but not really educate them. By the end of the day, it all depends on the sort of background they come from and upbringing they have had.
Most of the cricket players that make it to the Pakistan cricket team come from very impoverished backgrounds, where their families are trying to survive and make ends meet. Therefore, education is not one of their priorities. In addition, most of the players belong to either villages or far-flung slums which do not have schools or proper educational institutions. It is just their passion for the game that gets them to the cricket team.
Once they reach the cricket team, they are suddenly exposed to a lot of money, innumerable social contacts, fame and popularity. The cricket players try to make the most of it, by making as much money as they can, and as quickly as possible and because of that the line between right and wrong becomes very fuzzy. If the players had gone through a rigorous education routine, they would have been able to stay away from the menace of match-fixing, spot-fixing and other such immoralities. They would have stayed in the right company.
But sometimes even this logic doesn’t hold true. If the allegations on the three cricket players are proved to be true, then even attainment of education cannot be of any help for a cricketer to get corrupt. The biggest example of this is that of the captain Salman Butt, who is relatively well-educated compared to his team mates. He is a graduate of Beaconhouse, Garden Town, Lahore. He comes from a very good background as well, where both his parents are educated and polished. If the allegations were true, then it would leave one in utter bewilderment as to why players coming from such solid background indulge in such activities.
Looking at the history of the match-fixing allegations on Pakistan, one would come across the names of some of the greatest players who have come from very educated backgrounds. For instance, Wasim Akram from Islamia College, Lahore, Waqar Younis who was educated in Sadiq Public School in Bahawalpur, the Pakistani College in Sharjah and the Government College in Vehari, and most shockingly, Saeed Anwar, who was a NED graduate and was planning to go to the United States for graduate studies before he joined international cricket.
So this reaffirms the notion that education is not the only factor that plays a role in moulding the character of a cricket player. There are quite a few aspects that need to be considered, the upbringing of the player, being the most pivotal. The personal values and ethics that the player has been taught by his parents, the moral grounds of the player, his integrity, making the important distinction between right and wrong, are some of the factors that play a role in the cricketer’s character building.
One can only hope that such values are also thoroughly taught in the schools, colleges and universities, and the players are able to attain this sort of education. The Pakistan Cricket Board should finance the education of the players as it would prove to be an asset later on for the team.
